Neighborhood News: The Kitchen Step Opens on Thursday, NJ Taxi Prez Slams Mayor Fulop For Not Cracking Down On Uber

**Chef Ryan DePersio’s second Jersey City restaurant — The Kitchen Step — is slated to open this Thursday, February 18th. The restaurant will be located at 500 Jersey Avenue, former home to Thirty Acres. The new restaurant is described as a “new neighborhood bistro featuring modern American cuisine.” If you’ve been following The Kitchen Step on Facebook, you may have gotten a sneak peek at select entrees like the marinated golden beets, 10 seasonal vegetable soup (pictured above), and the ricotta gnocchi, all of which look nice and hearty. —The Kitchen Step

**Murray Rosenberg, President of the New Jersey Taxicab Owners Association, recently penned a harsh editorial asking Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop to crack down on Uber and other cab-hailing apps. Rosenberg argues that Uber drivers are not being subject to the same regulations that NJ taxi drivers must meet, such as having to pass criminal background checks and safety inspections. Rosenberg also claims that there have been three rapes committed by Uber drivers in New Jersey. —NJ.com

**New York Mayor Bill de Blasio is looking to recreate a streetcar line similar to New Jersey’s Hudson-Bergen Light Rail for Brooklyn and Queens. Mayor de Blasio’s proposal — called the Brooklyn Queens Connector — is expected to cost $2.5 billlion, which is slightly more than the $2.2 billion that New Jersey spent on its Light Rail. —NYT

**Pockets of fuel have leaked into the Morris Canal after a barge holding four diesel and two gasoline tanks sank into the water on Sunday. Although the spill was contained by Kens Marine Services, some of it wound up making its way to Liberty Landing Marina. —NBC NY